Architect's Newspaper October Landscape Architecture and Water Issue

For landscape architects today, urbanism and water go hand in hand. Whether dealing with issues of sea level rise, groundwater retention, or just plain old water supply infrastructure, landscape architects are working with scientists, engineers, and policy makers on increasingly bigger projects that encompass more external factors and larger networks of physical, biological, environmental, and political networks. We examine some of these water landscapes and how they relate to each other in the broader context of how resources and climate-related changes are being managed.

To put these projects in perspective, we have positioned them on a grid: The x-axis runs from “not enough” to “too much” water and the y-axis posits these projects as either being rooted in necessity or decadence. Within this grid, we found a surprising variety of combinations.

Here we’ve posted all our water-related articles from this issue. Enjoy!

Feature Stories

Alaska’s Relocation — One remote Alaska city is seeking $200 million to flee the rising sea

Lexington’s Groundwater — SCAPE turns Lexington, Kentucky’s long-buried water into an asset

L.A.’s River — L.A. River revitalization takes center stage in public eye (and real estate development)

Istanbul’s New Islands — A coterie of artificial islands and high-rises planned to rise near Istanbul

Miami’s Flooding — Miami battles rising floodwaters even as development booms

Chicago’s Runoff — Chicago digs deep to fight flooding, but the city’s geology may provide another solution

Waco’s Water Grid — Texas planners envision a county-wide “grid” to provide clean water during droughts

China’s Archipelago — This master plan calls for a brand new city to alleviate China’s water issues

UrbanLab is combining water infrastructure with architecture to reimagine how cities work

L.A.’s Reservoir — What will Angelenos do with a decommissioned, 45-foot-deep reservoir?